Everyone has done it. Passed many roadside attractions doing 65 miles per hour not even noticing the enchanting place to stop and explore.
Stastny Gardens and Art Gallery is one of these roadside gems. Basically it’s three attractions in one, a wonderful garden with many different types of trees, shrubs and flowers, an art gallery with featured local artists and a showcase of unique hand-carved stone pots for plants, fountains and firepots.
One of the best things about discovering a new city is finding the hidden funky neighborhoods that shape the fashion and art undercurrents found around town. Alberta Street, in North East Portland, is one of these. For years it was known as a problem neighborhood riddled with crime but in the early 90's as Portland hit a growth spurt, Alberta was cleaned up and reborn as an epicenter of youth and culture.
The Oregon coast offers a plethora of activities and sites to see that will keep anyone busy. However, some of us go to the coast to find a calm, quiet time to read, watch the waves, play games with family with the picturesque setting in the background.
For those people, Allegory Books and Gifts is a great place to visit.
The store, located in the shops of the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort, has been open for 38 years – a remarkable feat in this environment of big box bookstores and online retailers.
Bob’s Red Mill is the nation’s leader in stone milling and offers the widest diversity of whole grains found anywhere. We are dedicated to producing natural foods in the natural way. Try our outstanding products today and we guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
There is something in Oregon you simply can’t miss if you are a fan of chocolate, the Brigittine Monks Gourmet Confections.
Since 1986, the monks have lived outside the community of Amity, in the heart of Oregon wine country. They have a 45-acre farm that they work, and started making their fudge when the group was in the San Francisco bay area, in addition to carrot cakes and breads.
“We found that the breads had a shorter shelf life,” said Brother Bernard, who oversees the operation. “When we moved to Oregon is when we really started to be known for our confections.”
Walking into Bruce’s Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach is like being transported back to the old days of candy stores in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Which isn’t surprising since the store is family owned and operated by four generations. The Cannon Beach store has been open since April 1, 1963 and today the tradition continues, even after 50 years of operation.
Speckled throughout any community are the antique and collectible shops that offer old-world treasures for people looking to remember the past. Every now and then, however, you find a store like this that is different, unique in not only in the products it offers, but in its approach.
That is Valley Emporium in Carlton.
This shop is the very epitome of cool, bringing together different wines, sweets and, yes, antiques to downtown Carlton.
Whether it’s the numerous outlet malls, or visiting historic downtowns, there are many shopping opportunities scattered about the coast, from North to South.
But few shopping malls have the attraction of the Seaside Carousel Mall – a full-sized indoor working carousel. On the Oregon Coast, being indoors means you can enjoy a ride on a horse, sea horse or any number of other animals depicted on the spinning wonder.
Nestled in historic downtown McMinnville is a gallery that features Oregon artists, run by Oregon artists.
Currents Gallery is owned by eight local artists who know how to keep the content fresh with pieces that range from paintings to sculptures and everything in between.
Elkins Gem store, which has been there since 1958, offers everything from finished bookends made of petrified wood, to earrings, to free advice and maps of the area.
